Hey Hey - It's a guest blogspot for this weeks Funky Friday - and me ol' mate Bleecher (who also has his own cyberspace scrapbook the marvellous Dedogblog )is pushing the buttons at mission control..
Well hats off to Mr Mondo for letting me (dis)grace the pages of his tip top blog type thing. I've dug out a nugget that's gonna get you reaching for those Paisley shirts and keys to your Union Jack E-type folks!
'Brainwashed' starts like a perfect slice of high revving, free loving, rollock along, late sixties pop brilliantly spun by The Kinks. Fair play - all would be good if it carried on like that, and would still keep you doin' the 'Mashed Potato'. Austin Powers on Red Bull, Vodka, steroids and even more acid springs to mind.
Errr but no, the divinity that is Mr Ray Davis and Co, had plenty more up their more than adaquately sized flared and ruffled shirt sleeves. Chucked in at the end of the first chorus, like a 'do something to fill that gap Dave' thowaway line, is a snarling PUNK riff.
Yeah, you heard me. PUNK
Listen on to the middle eight, and check out just how big and ballsy Dave Davies guitar sound is when he plays another chuckaway riff all on his tod. This track predates the release of the first Stooges album by a few months, and I'm thinking who had more global exposure at that point? I'm not saying The Kinks invented punk, but listen to Dave Davies's parts in some of the early Kinks recordings and the choppy, loud, angular, garage style that became the hallmark of the punk sound is all there.
It's testament to the great songwriting talent that is 'The Kinks', that they only use the riff just twice in the whole song - and this great track only made it as a B-side!! (to the 'Victoria' single). Note to Mr Mondo do I get extra Curly Wurlies for combining your B-side babies and Funky Friday features? Yes, the chocs in the post (ouch!) - PM
Thanks for reading - may your sun shine and life be full. (now read my blog or I'll come round n' nick your Coco Pops)
Inspired by completing this today (where Ferry gets much more of a roasting than is strictly necessary) and tuning into this from Mick over at Raiding The Vinyl Archive - I'm on a right ol' Roxy buzz.
So how about the overlooked and underplayed great ' lost' single 'Pyjamarama' - apparantley the band never rated it and even Eno claimed ' Do The Strand' should have been released instead. Nonsense I say! 'Pyjamarama' is perfect pop - all fizz and glitter, like Motown gone glam, and conforms to Paul Morley's theory that all pop songs are truly great if...
Chelmsford Odeon, December 13th 1980 - Adam and The Ants are on the final few dates of their Frontier Tour, the audience is split 90/10 in favour of spiky spitting punks over shiny new pop fans. An enthusiastic, energetic punch up between skuffling skinheads and mad eyed mohicans bubbles away in front of the stage until eventually Adam has to stop the band and scream at the scrappers "it's not 1977 anymore". The fight fizzles out and the show goes on all punchy double drums with glam twang guitars. And there's me a trembly teen at his first 'grown up' gig watching wide eyed at the back .
Fast forward 27 years. The Islington Academy, November 14th 2007 - it's The Wolfmen's debut gig, slinking on stage they kick start with a spectacular sizzler - but hang on a mo' isn't that one of my favourite Eno tunes with added Roxy riffing? Now it's glam garage guitars, flute solos and sitars sharing the same stage, and what's that about the special guest star Dahler Mendhi? He's unable make the gig due to an interview with Her Majesty's finest, not a problem as the show goes on all snap, snarl and sparkle. And there's me a seasoned salty ol' gig goer watching wide eyed at the bar.
I thought The Wolfmen’s debut show last November was a stormer what were your feelings on it?
I think we pulled it off,we got away with it - we were rough, ready and raw which is great. One odd thing about doing this for 30 years is I do not have the ability to make mistakes any more which I miss,sometimes the best things come out of unpredictability...thats my excuse for not turning up to rehearsals and I'm sticking to it!
The set opened with Eno’s ‘Needles in the Camels Eye’ which is an inspired choice of cover version. Did you try out any other covers before ‘Needles’? And are there any more lined up for the future?
No we haven't as yet worked on other covers, but at some point I would like to try 'Homosapien'by Pete Shelley,'Don't split It' by The Subway Sect ,'The Telephone Call' by Kraftwerk (don't ask me how we are going to do that!), 'Theres A Ghost In My House' by R.Dean Taylor and even maybe 'Sounds Of The Underground' by Girls Aloud or 'House Of Love' by East 17, but at the moment we are working on our stuff so don't expect these anytime soon. I think covers should be worked on in downtime for fun.
Everyone I've played Wolfmen material to is always hooked after a couple of plays, where do you start when writing new songs and what comes first the catchy tunes or rocky swagger?
Catchy tunes come first every time. Rock swagger is easy,we've had enough practice at that - I learnt Rock swagger before I could even play!
There's some eclectic instrumentation on several tracks flute, harmonica over growling guitars. Do you write with a view to adding these touches, or does it get worked up later?
We think about it later,there's always a space where we think "what can we do here?" shall we just stick yet another guitar solo over it or make an attempt at something different? Chris is a bit of a multi-instrumentalist so that comes in handy,I can only play the guitar and the intro to 'Virginia Plain' on a Stylophone,but to be frank I don't get much call for that these days.
(I can also play 'Run Run Run' by the Velvet Underground on drums, but again that talent is not in demand anymore...well it never was.)
The Wolfmen are start their residency at the Embassy club tomorrow( future dates and details are on The Wolfmen Myspace site), are there any plans for a UK or international tour after this?
It all depends if people want us, we are in talks about touring India at the moment but it's early days yet.
Who were the guitarists or artists that inspired you to pick up a guitar? And are you self taught?
Mick Ronson,Phil Manzanera,Marc Bolan,Link Wray,Pete Townsend and yes I am self taught (Steve Jones is also in my hero list but no way am I admitting that to him) .
If you could choose anyone dead or alive to jam with, or join The Wolfmen for one track who would it be and on what song?
I'd love Andy Mackay to come down and do something, or Simon House to do some violin but we don't have the song yet, when we do I'll be straight on the phone. And of course the great, incredible and unbelievable Ms Mo Tucker who ranks with Keith Moon as greatest rock drummer of all time!
The Wolfmen - 'Cecilie'
The Wolfmen - 'Cecilie' (Alan Mulder Mix)
The Wolfmen - 'While London Sleeps' (Alan Mulder Mix)
Coming in part 2...
What is the connection between Marco and the rocking chipmunk Dave Hill?
Were there any 'guilty pleasures' at the height of the punk Wars?
I really haven't got anywhere near as much Aretha as I should - so any tip offs, starting points and must have recommendations would be welcome.
'I Say A Little Prayer' This has to be the most beltingest version of the Bacharach/David classic - where other readings drift dreamily along, Aretha's sensual celebratery take swishes, swoops, swings and has me bending at the knee and bulging at the eye everytime. Absolutely stunning - Listen out for the Gospel style 'call and response' touches on the "forever and ever" section
Magic moments are...
The spiralling "do" - 1:31 The bellowing "EVER, YEAH " - 1:46 The soaring "one" 2:10
'I Say A Little Prayer' was recorded for Aretha's appearance on the Tom Jones Show ( the highlights of Tom's sixties shows are available on DVD), where Tom and Aretha also tuck into a couple of dynamic duets and put the needles in the red with their super seismic lungbusting.
Yes boys, girls, bloggers and bloggettes - Mr Marco Pirroni formerly of The Models, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Adam and The Ants and currently starring in his new project The Wolfmen will be appearing here - right here on the Planet Mondo blog next week - where we'll be discussing...
How do you promote a new band in the 21st Century? What is the connection between Slade and The Wolfmen? Were there any 'guilty pleasures' at the height of the Punk wars?
That's next week, but in the meantime why not lend an ear to one of their tunes
I was lucky enough to catch The Wolfmen's blistering debut gig at the Islington Academy last November, which you can read about here or have peep at here...
Of course Valentine's day is all about celebrating smoochy, smoochy kissy kissyness with some swoony tunes. But, what about the cheeky,sneaky,slinky moments of fun and tumbles too...
Here's a twenty minute minimix of saucy Romp 'n' Roll especially for clinks and clinches on Valentine's Day.
Tracklist Agent Provocateur - Chinese Girl Mylo – Muscle Car Ethan -In My Heart(instrumental edit) The "O" Medley / Silverscreen Shower Scene – (Soulwax Mix) Felix Da Housecat - Choochie Coo Mount Sims - Good Service Peaches - I U She Electric Blue - Mondo Minimix.mp3
Had a hard week and a heavy weekend? Overdone the sipping and stodging? Don't worry Johnny Adams is here with his soaraway Soul to soothe those jangled nerves.
If you were around (read - growing up) in the seventies, you'll remember the high flying, knuckle busting Kung Fu,Karate and Martial Arts explosion in the aftermath of Bruce Lee and 'Enter The Dragon'. Board breaking, neck chopping imagery was everywhere - from the Karate girls in 'The Man with the Golden Gun', the 'Kung Fu' TV series, Marvel comics characters like 'Iron Fist', and 'Karate Kid' in Whizzer and Chips to Kung Fu Crisps and pyjamas styled like 'Shang Chi Master of Kung Fu.'. So as it's the start of the Chinese New Year why not tuck in to some treats from this funky buffet, straight from the chop socky seventies.
If you're still hungry for more head over to Fu Fu Stu, where red hot Soul sizzlers and mixes are always on the menu.
'Enter The Dragon' Trailer
Jim Lee followed up his 'Enter The Dragon' role with the head cracking 'Black Belt Jones'
'Black Belt Jones' intro
Fleamarket Funk has a super duper Dennis Coffey rework of the 'Enter The Dragon' theme for download
If Mark Vidler/GHP is the Mozart of mashups, then Soundhog is the Beethoven of bootleg remixes, with a darker dynamic to his fast and furious bastard pop.
This 8 minute extract from his 'Superchunk' mix is a collection of component parts that really shouldn't fit together, but have been pieced into pick n' mix musical mosiac so stunning that it outshines any of the originals. The shift from Destiny's Child/'Old Grey Whistle Test' theme to Liberty X by way of Primal Scream and onto Breakbeats backing the retro riff from 'John Craven's Newsround' is pure mashup magic.
Here's the track list for this clip
Area Code 615 - Stone Fox Chase Destiny's Child - Bootylicious Primal Scream - Loaded Liberty X - Got To Have Your Love Donovan - Barabajagl Elizabeth Knight - excerpt from 'How To Give Yourself A Stereo Checkout' John Baker (BBC Radiophonic Workshop) - New Worlds Martin Rushent - excerpt from 1985 'Micro File' interview Renegade Soundwave - Biting My Nails
The mighty Baltic Fleet - with their walloping wall of synth sounds - like Bowie's 'Berlin' period meets Boards of Canada pumped on Red Bull.
The shiny new Silvery and those infectious high octane hurdy-gurdy anthems.
The funktastic Bongolian dishing up non stop grooveadelic delights.
And ....I even got to spin a few winners between the bands. Marvellous. A couple of the tracks I was hoping to fire up, never quite made it - so here they are now.
I'd had 'Hard Luck (Again') lined up in my head to play but because of a momentary memory meltdown thought it was called 'Billy's Third' and fired that up by mistake. Whoops.
Blimey O'Riley, it seems like a lifetime since we got on the good foot here on Planet Mondo, but there's plenty of tasty treats on offer today.
Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings franticly funky rework of - 'I Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)' - orginally a Psych Rock groover by the First Edition featuring Kenny Rogers - set to a display of spectacular fruggery.
A crazy ace clip of the First Edition, performing 'Condition' with Kenny Rogers looking for all the world like a gripping hands Action Man.
And a stunning bass masterclass, with a home made vid' of a 'have a go hero' playing the bassline along to MVP's Northern Soul stomper 'Turning My Heartbeat Up. If you don't know 'Heartbeat', it's a simmering starter that goes through the gears to an eventual giddy tizz and fireworks finale. I'd never noticed the bass run on 'Heartbeat' until watching this clip, seeing it in almost isolation is stunning.
If you've only got time for one clip, to quote James Brown "please, please, please" watch the bass vid.
In the mood to bust some moves like these? Then get on over James Brown dance class here at the marvellous Landcroft House blog.
